Pakistan playing vital role in reducing marine pollution: President Alvi

KARACHI: President Dr Arif Alvi has said that Pakistan was making a lot of efforts for sustainability of the marine sector by reducing sea pollution.

He expressed these views, while addressing a ceremony via video-link from Islamabad.

The ceremony was organised in connection with the World Maritime Day 2021 by the Ministry of Maritime Affairs.

Pakistan has three seaports playing a big role by contributing to the national economy, the president said, adding that required standards were being maintained for the ports.

Pakistan has a shipyard, which was doing a tremendous job by building and repairing vessels in the country, he said.

Appreciating Federal Minister of Maritime Affairs Syed Ali Haider Zaidi, the president said the fishing sector was improving due to his sincere efforts.

Sindh Governor Imran Ismail said that the maritime sector has a huge potential for investment but unfortunately, the investors were not interested in that sector.

Less than one per cent of the investors opted to invest in that sector because people were unaware about its potential.

President Alvi expressed the need to generate interest of investors towards the maritime sector, besides building more shipyards to exploit its potential.

Citing examples of some small countries such as Singapore, he said, they were generating huge revenues from this sector.

Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Syed Ali Haider Zaidi said that many sectors were connected to the blue economy. Many institutions have been destroyed by nationalization, he added.

“We have launched a successful programme for the development of fishermen who should be provided loans on easy installments,” he said.

The shipping companies were damaged by the Covid-19 pandemic because they were getting little business,the minister said, adding that the seafarers were facing visa issues, which must be addressed.

The digital identification has been issued to seafarers in collaboration with the National Database Registration Authority, he said, adding that the Karachi Coastal Development Zone (KCDZ) project was being criticised. The project was started as 550 million gallons wastewater was going into the sea from Liyari River and other drains.

Each day, around 5,000 tonnes of solid waste was also falling into the sea and Karachi did not have a solid waste management system, he stressed.

Initially, the KCDZ project will include a water treatment plant on the Lyari River, he said, adding that every drop of water will be treated before falling into the sea.

This project would be a game changer for Pakistan as a new fishing harbour and fish processing unit would be set up, the minister said.

The World Maritime Day is observed every year on the last Thursday of September to celebrate the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) founding in 1958.

The theme of this year’s World Maritime Day is “Seafarers: at the core of shipping’s future.”

The seminar sought to increase the visibility of seafarers by drawing attention to the invaluable contribution they make to keep the international trade flowing and to keep the world economy running.